


Up or Down

by bookjunkiecat



Series: Savvy's Holiday Fic [7]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky and Steve forever, Bucky's hair, Christmas, Clint Barton has a bisexual awakening, Fireworks, Gifts, Kissing, M/M, New Year's Eve, Not Really Canon Compliant, Prompt: Gifts/Wishlist, Rooftops, Tony is a dick and it backfires, everyone wants to touch Bucky's hair, just have fun kids, spectacularly, wishlist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21709150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookjunkiecat/pseuds/bookjunkiecat
Summary: Tony splashes out on gift for the residents of the Tower. He gives scrunchies to Bucky.After watching YouTube, Bucky starts wearing said scrunchies. Mild mayhem ensues. Tony pouts. Bucky and Steve kiss. That's it, that's the fic.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Savvy's Holiday Fic [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1558120
Comments: 6
Kudos: 111





	Up or Down

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts for Days 4 and 7 were mixed up (totally the author's fault) so I mishmashed the two together for Day 7. The prompt came from Kat's Xmas Johnlock Prompts 2019 but I've been playing around with pairings and fandoms :)
> 
> Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr @savvyblunders
> 
> I love the Stucky and Winterhawk pairings and read a lot, but I'm a noob to writing the ships and I know fuck all about canon, precede with that knowledge :)

Tony was an unstoppable force of nature; since it was Christmas time, and the Avengers team were assembled in the Tower, Tony was in true manic mode. The chances that he’d slept more than three hours a night for the last two weeks were slim. Bets were going that once he’d had the Christmas dinner he would crash for at least eighteen hours. 

But for now he was whirling from one task to the next, talking a mile a minute, leaving things half-finished, flinging orders at Jarvis. It was as if he were afraid he’d fall asleep if he stood still for too long. Or as if he’d feel what was missing.

Even though they weren’t family, just a collection of damaged people and mutants, the residents of the Tower were making a good tab at a family-style Christmas. They pitched in to make brunch. Originally they had intended to have breakfast, but Clint refused to leave his bed before ten, so they ate late. Not everyone cooked--Bucky didn’t know how, no one wanted Clint near flames or knives (or their food) until he’d had two pots of coffee, and Natasha just looked at her perfect manicure, raised a brow and lounged on the couch.

After eating, they exchanged gifts. It soon became clear that Tony had hacked into everyone’s online wishlists and fulfilled their wildest dreams. He had the money, and he was actually a generous guy, even Bucky would give him that. But it was pretty over the top.

Bucky sat amidst the sea of wrapping paper, surrounded by exclaiming teammates. Tony looked over at him with a complicated smile, “Okay there, murder-boy?”

Steve sighed at Tony and gave Bucky an encouraging smile, “What’d you get, Buck?”

Bucky’s smile was serene as he held up a handful of...scrunchies? “Stark got me hair ties.”

In comparison to the excess around them, it was a pretty damning comment on the millionaire’s feelings. Tony’s smile was angelic, “Clips too.”

* * *

  
  
  


Bucky watched YouTube tutorials and experimented with his new hair ties. The first time he wore his hair up outside of his rooms, he had the top half of his hair pulled back with a purple scrunchie. Clint, crouched in the rafters above the gym, lost his usual aerial agility and tumbled down twelve feet until he caught a girder and swung, lost in the midst of a bisexual awakening.

  
  
  
  
  


“Why is Barton following Sargent Shit-sicle around like that?” Tony asked, scowling. He stared after Bucky, who was sauntering into the kitchen, trailed (as he had been for the past three days) by the archer.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Bucky joined the team for Team Movie Night, his hair in a sleek bun, augmented by one of the flowered pins Tony had “kindly” gifted him. His serenity annoyed Tony, but not as much as having to endure Pepper and Natasha cooing over Bucky’s hair. When Pepper asked how he’d managed to get his hair to behave so well, and they curled into a corner of one of the couches and whispered for the rest of the movie, Tony’s pout could have been seen from space.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“First Pepper and now Thor?” Tony actually stomped as he raged his way from the lounge where he’d just found Bucky sitting on the floor in front of Thor, who was weaving his hair into intricate braids. Maria Hill had been providing sarcastic commentary--while lying on the floor, her feet in Bucky’s lap, the recipient of a foot rub by the former Winter Soldier. “Bastard’s seducing my team with his stupid teen idol hair!”

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“...invite him to a sleep-over, wait til he falls asleep and then cut off his stupid hair…”

Bruce looked over the top of his glasses, mildly concerned, “Tony...what are you talking about?”

Tony was cagey, “...nothing…”

Bruce rolled his eyes, “Does this have anything to do with how obsessed you’ve been with Bucky?”

“I’m not _ obsessed.” _

“You talk about his hair more than I’ve ever given a thought to my own,” Bruce pointed out dryly. He paused, ran a hand through his shaggy curls, “Though to be honest, if I had that hair, I’d be obsessed too.”

Tony outright gasped, “Brucie! No.  _ No. _ Big Man, c’mon, don’t tell me you’ve fallen under Barnes’s spell too?”

Bruce laughed.

Tony flung his hands up, instruments flying. Dum-E tootled and rolled to retrieve them. “Won’t anyone rid me of that meddlesome murder bot?”

* * *

  
  
  


When  _ Nick Fury _ complimented Bucky on his braids, Tony gave a muffled scream and wasn’t seen for two days.

  
  
  
  


* * *

So obsessed was Tony Stark with how horribly his Christmas gift to Bucky had gone, it was actually a little amazing that he had failed to notice that one person hadn’t been seen to react or remark.

Bucky went looking for Steve.

He found him on the roof, watching the fireworks heralding in the New Year. Not the glamorous rooftop terrace decorated with potted pines wounds tastefully with white lights, where Tony and Pepper were hosting with drinks and canape. Not the rooftop aerie where Clint often lurked. No, the rooftop proper, where utility sheds and vents were to be found. It wasn’t sleek or glamorous or attractive. It was more like the roof on their building back in Brooklyn where they’d played as boys, slept rough during the sweltering summer months, where they’d huddled in quilts to watch the fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

Bucky had known where to find Steve.

“Hey Stevie, hidin’ out from the fancy party?”

Steve didn’t turn around, but he didn’t seem surprised either. “Yeah...I had my fill of fancy parties when I first woke up. Seems like everyone wanted a piece of me.” He snorted as Bucky fetched up beside him. “They might as well have put me on display at the Smithsonian. Let people come by and gape at Captain America.”

“Don’t give them any ideas,” Bucky said in amusement. He ran a hand over his hair, wondering if Steve was ever going to look at him. Nudging him with his elbow, Bucky held out a flask, “Drink to warm you?”

“Sure,” Steve took it gratefully, taking a healthy mouthful. “Ah... thanks, Buck.”   
  


“Yup.” 

Steve took another drink, staring broodingly out at the blooming sky, “Glad you found me.”

Bucky took the flask back, but didn’t drink, “Doesn’t seem like it, pal. Haven’t looked at me once.”

After a slight pause Steve turned his head. His eyes widened, “Bucky…”

“Yeah, pal?” Bucky managed a smile, hoping it was close enough to the “old” Bucky smile. 

“What have you done to your hair?” Steve held out a hand, as if to touch, but then restrained himself.

“Cut it.” Bucky was proud of how casual he sounded. He kinda wished he had a cigarette. “Like it?”

Steve was silent for a minute and then he finally spoke, “No.”

What? “What?”

Steve’s face was almost annoyed, “Why’d you cut it?”

For you. “I thought you’d like it better. It’s like it used to be.”

Steve’s face did something complicated. His voice was gentle, “Neither of us is quite like we used to be, Buck.” His hand came out, slow enough to give time to Bucky if he wanted to move, to avoid the touch. He didn’t. “Did you think I wanted things to be the way they were?”

Steve was petting his hair. _ Steve was petting his hair. _ “Don’t you?”

“No,” Steve whispered, gentle fingers caressing the short hairs over Bucky’s temple, sliding behind his ear. He cupped the back of Bucky’s head tenderly, eyes telegraphing his intention. “Because then I wouldn’t have dared to do this.”

His lips touching Bucky’s didn’t short out his thoughts. They clarified them, distilling Bucky’s thoughts down to one notion.  _ Steve. Steve. Stevestevesteve. _ His lips clung eagerly, and Bucky reached for his best friend without thinking twice. They stood in a tender circle of eager arms and hungry lips, forgetting time. When they finally parted, Steve’s eyes were only a little anxious. “Was that alright?”

“One thing hasn’t changed, Stevie, no matter how much time has passed. I’ve always wanted to kiss you.”


End file.
